Ghostbase Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 This is the Roden 1/144th scale Douglas C-133A Cargomaster which was nicknamed the 'Oscar Mayer Weenie Wagon' due to its resemblance to a fleet of motor vehicles shaped like a hot dog on a bun, called "Wienermobile", which were used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. The C-133A was at one point the largest strategic airlifter operated by the USAF and was powered by 4 × Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprop engines, 7,500 hp (5,600 kW) each with water injection. Of the 50 built 10 were destroyed in accidents and it was retired in 1971 with the introduction of the C-5A Galaxy. A fascinating aircraft, I never saw one in service however I have seen several in museums and when Roden released this kit I had to buy one! x20221002_172531 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit was built OOB with the kit decals replaced by a set from Caracal Models. I am a 1/48th scale modeller by heart and this is my first serious 1/144th scale build and I found it quite difficult at times being used to a much larger scale. The kit isn't complex and the plastic is quite robust so the construction of the major parts was relatively easy. I decided to build the wings separately with the engines and add them at a late stage. This made it much easier to apply the particular colour scheme which I had chosen. x20221002_172159 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Painting was a mixture of types. The aluminium on the fuselage and wings was Halfords Aluminium from a spray can, this went on well and I thought it suited this scale. The 'white top' was also a Halfords automotive spray can, this time Appliance White. The orange bands were Vallejo Orange Red applied by air brush and brushed with Klear, the dark aluminium wing walks were Lifecolor UA794 acrylics, also airbrushed. Matt black and other detail colours were Vallejo acrylics. I did a lot of masking for this model and generally it went well. x20221002_172443 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit decals are quite poor so I bought the Caracal Models CD144021 C-133 Cargomaster decal set which gives 12 marking options for C-133A and C-133B models in a variety of colour schemes. Of course I decided to go for a 'white top' with orange bands, being C-133A sn 54-0140 which was named "Spirit of Santa Monica Schools" (sadly this aircraft, then operated by the 1st ATS, 1607th ATW crashed Jan 11, 1965 at Wake Island during takeoff about 3 mi from the end of runway. All six onboard were killed). As always, the Caracal decals are well-researched and of very high quality and I recommend them highly. x20221002_172413 by Ghostbase, on Flickr However, I did have quite a few problems which sadly do show in these photos. The first is that not all the parts go together well. These include the rear fuselage and tail assembly and there is quite a pronounced and visible gap. I had the same problem with the wings however I spray painted some Tamiya masking tape and that hid the worst of the gap. Also, this model is a tail sitter! The worst issue that I had was the main undercarriage which the instructions say should be completely assembled and attached, then the sponsons should fit over them. Well, they don't! I had to break and detach two undercarriage assemblies, drastically trim them, then place them back inside the sponsons. Fortunately the wheels are barely visible once the u/c doors are attached. x20221002_172257 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The other problem lay with the markings. I chose the 'white top' version however I didn't make a template of the decals which contain quite complex curves especially around the rear fuselage. I 'guestimated' my masking and this caused problems when I applied the black line decals because I didn't get it quite right. This can be clearly seen in the photos above. Oh, and I applied the wrong windshield decal! The black lines should not go over the orange bands either. x20221002_172332 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So would I build this kit again? Absolutely yes! It was a challenge, I learned a lot, and despite all my mistakes she looks like that big old sixties era Cargomaster. I do have a Roden 1/144 C-141B Starlifter in the stash and it seems to be calling my name... Michael 56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sierra Tango Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Despite the challenges you encountered the finished product looks great. I'm glad Roden produced the kit and I've got one in the stash for a future build, along with a set of Caracal decals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Wow, what a fantastic rarity! I also decided to go for 144 for large subjects.... not that I would have done loads if them though... yet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Great looking model. Despite your reservations, I think you won. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Mc Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 The end result was worth it. Impressive beast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuraiwarrior Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Stunning job, despite all the problems you encountered. There is something so enticing about NMF finish when enlivened by white and dayglo. It really looks the part, excellent. Thanks for sharing. Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansReggelsen Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 (edited) Great looking model! I have the same kit and can only say, that I'm gratefull to you for sharing your insight in the build - that'll help me keeping my eyes open when I build this! You don't by any chance have planned to build the C-141 do you? Cheers Edited October 3, 2022 by HansReggelsen Fumbly fingers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaracalModels Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Another excellent build - thanks for sharing! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 A wonderful model and I do really like the paint scheme you chose. God, I wish someone would release a Cargomaster in 1/72 scale! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 That's an absolutely awesome build! I've been eyeing this kit up for some time and may have to take the plunge now. I have always been fascinated by the look of this aircraft...a bit like an enlarged 'super C-130'! Never saw one in service either...so building a model is the closest you can generally get to appreciating the real thing. Your paintwork has turned out superbly...all credit to your hard work. I think 1/144 works really well for aircraft of this size.... I don't think you'd have the space if it was in your chosen scale!!! Thanks for posting 👍👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 This looks fantastic. I was fascinated by these as a kid & have been much tempted by this kit, seeing this one is not making that temptation any easier to resist. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 She's a real beaut and brute at the sametime! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanfan Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Great finish on this! Thanks for posting. I've built this and the Roden C-141 and remember the landing gear being a real problem on both of them, but worse on the C-133. I also think a good starting point on Roden kits is to put the decals in the bin! It's great that they're available though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostbase Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 Thank you for all the kind comments and it is good to know that I am not the only scale modeller (and aircraft enthusiast) who is fascinated by these big old transports in those hi-vis colour schemes favoured in the 1960's. Also good to hear that the problems that I encountered with the main landing gear weren't down to my misreading the instructions! Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffry M Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 That looks amazing but you left off the ketchup and relish. 😁 JK that is a great build. Geoff M 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Young Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 What a lovely job Michael -well done!. If you hadn't told us about the challenges encountered we'd never have noticed!! Many thanks for pointing them out though, it's good to know where potential problems lie for anyone else who will be making one. Also good to hear that the Caracal decals worked well, I've just bought some for an EC121 Warning Star in 1/144 so it's reassuring that any problems will be of my own making rather than the decals! Many thanks for sharing this with us. Cheers, Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 This is a great build, well done! I have the C-133 with the big missile as cargo and if mine looks half as good as yours I will be happy! Well done on an awesome model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmm Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 I’m half way through this build and most of the problems you describe are painfully familiar. But I find this at least as much of an inspiration. Thanks for the enjoyable and instructive read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 Nice job, Michael and thanks for posting. Friend of mine is *nearly* done with is -133. Right now, his big hangup is the propellers. I just finished a Roden VC10, and in the 21st Century, you would expect these models to fit better than they do. The fit challenges aren't insurmountable, but just aggravating. It's not as if these shapes are unusually complex.... -d- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 Cracking build and a fantastic subject from the heyday of strategic airlifters 😍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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